Amid rising geopolitical tensions and an increasingly volatile indie film business, Unifrance moved forward this week with the 31st edition of its Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in New York.

One of the organization’s flagship initiatives aimed at promoting French films in the U.S., the event kicked off Thursday evening with a packed screening at the Walter Reade Theater hosting the New York premiere of François Ozon’s adaptation of Albert Camus’ novel “The Stranger.” Ozon, however, wasn’t one of the ground. Instead, he recorded a short video that played for the audience explaining that he had canceled his trip due to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

“We knew it was going to be a particular year due to what’s happening in Iran and we were prepared for some last minute cancellations, but we didn’t consider axing this edition like we had done in 2020 when the pandemic broke out,” said Daniela Elstner, managing director of Unifrance, in an interview with Variety.

Elstner said the org emailed all the participants “to ask them if they wanted to make this trip to the U.S. “Ultimately, it’s a personal decision which they had to make. There could be some safety or ethical concerns, or fears of being unable to fly back for whatever reason,” she said. Only a handful of guests withdrew, including Ozon and Pauline Loquès, whose film “Nino” just won best first film at the Cesar Awards.

Despite the tense political backdrop, the French delegation turned out in force for the opening night. “Everyone showed up for the red carpet and opening, it was heartwarming,” Elstner said. The screening was followed by a cocktail gathering that brought together filmmakers Arnaud Desplechin, Stéphane Demoustier and Fabienne Godet, alongside producers Olivier Delbosc, Raphaëlle Delauche, Julie Billy, Nicolas Sanfaute, Hélène Espeisse, Bertrand Faivre and Romain Rancurel, alongside international film executives such as Alexis Cassanet from Gaumont and Eva Diederix from Goodfellas.

The weeklong showcase, which will wrap with Julia Ducournau’s “Alpha,” remains one of Unifrance’s most important platforms for boosting the visibility of French cinema in North America — a market that remains culturally influential but increasingly difficult for foreign-language films.

“It’s very invigorating to see that Film at Lincoln Center, our partner at the Rendez-Vous, is able to attract crowds of young cinephiles and fans of French movies every year,” Elstner said. “Most of our screenings are sold out, even jam-packed. It’s incredible to see people book back-to-back screenings and talk about films with such passion. They’re surprisingly knowledgable! There is a vibrant subculture.”

This year’s 22-film lineup reflects the breadth of contemporary French filmmaking, bringing together works from emerging directors and established auteurs, many of which premiered at Cannes, Venice and Locarno.

Besides “The Stranger and” “Nino,” anticipated highlights include Olivier Assayas’s Venice-premiering political drama “The Wizard of the Kremlin,” starring Jude Law as a fictionalized Vladimir Putin opposite Paul Dano; Dominik Moll’s César-nominated procedural “Case 137,” set during the Yellow Vests protests and starring Léa Drucker; Valérie Donzelli’s Venice prizewinning “At Work”; Arnaud Desplechin’s melodrama “Two Pianos”; and Stéphane Demoustier’s historical epic “The Great Arch.” New York premieres include Hafsia Herzi’s coming-of-age drama “The Little Sister,” starring Cannes best actress winner Nadia Melliti; “Enzo,” the final project by the late Laurent Cantet, directed by Robin Campillo; and Cédric Klapisch’s “Colors of Time.”

How has it been organizing the Rendez-Vous this year amid geopolitical turmoil that involves the U.S.?

Daniela Elstner: We knew it was going to be a particular year because of what’s happening in Iran, and we were prepared for some last-minute cancellations. But we never considered axing this edition the way we did in 2020 when the pandemic broke out.

We actually emailed everyone in our delegation to ask whether they still wanted to make the trip to the U.S., because ultimately it’s a personal decision. There could be safety or ethical concerns, or fears of not being able to fly back for whatever reason.

In the end, we only had a few defections, including François Ozon and Pauline Loquès. We were sad that François Ozon couldn’t be there last night to present “The Stranger,” but he explained in the video we screened why he wasn’t coming. It was a mix of safety concerns and political convictions. I think the audience understood, and I felt a lot of kindness in the room. The whole delegation of talent showed up for the red carpet and opening — it was really heartwarming.

From your discussions with distributors and sales agents, and looking at exports last year, do French films remain popular in the U.S.?

Elstner: It’s incredibly invigorating to see that Film at Lincoln Center, our partner for the Rendez-Vous, continues to attract crowds of young cinephiles every year. Most screenings are sold out, sometimes jam-packed. It’s amazing to see people booking back-to-back screenings and discussing the films with such passion. They’re also surprisingly knowledgeable — there’s a real subculture around French cinema. We’ve also built strong ties with universities, film schools and cultural institutions. These screenings generate incremental revenue for sales agents, but they also help cultivate future audiences. We’ve relaunched our festival Young French Cinema, organized jointly with Villa Albertine and the French Institute for Culture and Education in New York. The idea is to introduce emerging French filmmakers to audiences across the U.S. and Canada and showcase films that haven’t yet secured U.S. distribution.

There seems to be a disconnect between what local French hits and the French movies that perform well in the U.S.

Elstner: Looking at theatrical performance, it’s encouraging to see films by female directors such as Laura Piani’s “Jane Austen Wrecked My Life” and Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Private Life” enjoy healthy runs in theaters, alongside titles like Luc Besson’s “Dracula” and the animated feature “Flow.”

That said, box office levels are not what they used to be. A film that might have grossed $3 million a few years ago may now make closer to $1 million. But that trend exists everywhere. One structural issue in the U.S. is the lack of theaters outside major cities like New York and Los Angeles.

The silver lining is that filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino, Richard Linklater and Sean Baker are personally invested in saving cinemas. That’s incredibly precious and gives us hope.

French sales agents often say U.S. deals generate limited revenue and that it can sometimes be more lucrative to sell films to Eastern Europe. Is that concerning?

Elstner: Yes, it has always been a challenge. U.S. deals can be difficult to close and they’re not necessarily the most lucrative. But at the same time, it’s extremely important for filmmakers to see their films released here. Some of the directors attending this year have never been to New York before. For them, seeing their movie play in this city is a source of enormous pride.

However, big French period productions like “The Count of Monte Cristo,” for example, don’t seem to resonate here in the same way.

Elstner: Yes, we’ve seen that for a long time — particularly with comedies and large-scale French productions. Comedies are often culturally specific, so they may travel to neighboring European countries like Germany, but exporting them to the U.S. is rare, except through remakes. What’s interesting is that American audiences are often looking for French films that feel distinctive — films that stand apart from what they already see in the U.S. They want something that feels quintessentially French, something exotic. Because of that, French films made on a large scale that resemble Hollywood productions can sometimes be overlooked. Luc Besson is really the only filmmaker who managed to consistently break through with American audiences.

The programmers at Film at Lincoln Center have done an excellent job curating lineups that truly excite New York audiences. Sometimes people ask us why we don’t screen more mainstream films, but that’s simply not what audiences here are looking for.

A few years ago there was widespread concern that streaming services would wipe out the independent market. How has the perception evolved as streamers consolidate and shift strategies?

Elstner: It’s a very different era today. Streaming platforms like Netflix are now fully integrated into the ecosystem. They premiere films at festivals, their logos appear on posters — it’s no longer controversial.
But they’re far less aggressive when it comes to acquisitions. There was a period when sales agents worried that too many films were being scooped up in global deals by streamers, but those days are largely over. I’ve even heard some jokes about what Netflix might do with the $2.8 billion breakup fee it received from Paramount. Everyone is secretly hoping they’ll pull out their checkbooks and start buying more films again.